Stickman Readers' Submissions April 20th, 2012

I Didn’t Mean It To Happen, But It Did Part 3

After a manic week in LA and Vegas it was time to return home to England. It was a great 2 weeks there and I’d love to go back again in the future. Vegas is a brilliant place and absolutely mental. I’ve never seen so many fake boobs in my
entire life!

I settled back into the routine of work and life in England. I found it really difficult at times as I really missed her and thought about her a lot, but had a glimpse of hope thinking maybe she would get granted a Tourist Visa and could
spend 2 weeks in England for her holiday. We waited patiently on the UK Border agency's decision and kept in contact via Skype, MSN, Facebook and the cheap rate number I had for my mobile. Work was busy and I spent most weekends fiddling
with my car so it took my mind off it.

He Clinic Bangkok

After a couple of weeks I got the phone call from her saying her tourist visa had been granted and she would be coming to visit for 2 weeks in summer. I was over the moon and relieved at the news. She’d wanted to visit London since
she was young and actually wanted to live there but it was easier for her to gain an Au Pair visa to USA so that dream faded.

She constantly spoke about Harrods, Buckingham Palace and various other attractions she wanted to see, as part of the visa requirement we’d had to make a rough itinerary so our 2 weeks together was already busy and well planned. She
booked her plane ticket and we were set to go.

I told a few of my friends about her intended visit and as friends do, they spent a fair amount of time taking the piss. The usual stuff really about Thai brides, did she have a penis etc. etc. One of my mates took me for a drink and started
to ask me whether I thought it was “a good idea” and to be careful of these Asian women as “they are only after one thing!” I knew they were just watching my back, but as none of them had ever been to Thailand, I knew
their way of thinking would change once they met her.

CBD bangkok

The big day arrived, I got to Birmingham airport early morning and waited patiently in arrivals. As I saw her come through with a big beaming smile everything stopped for a moment. A nuclear bomb could have gone off and I wouldn’t
have noticed!

I asked if she was tired but in true Thai style she’d managed to sleep most of the way here. She was excited and just wanted to go and see everything! I took her to meet my parents first, who were very excited about meeting her.

She got on very well with my parents, and her polite, well-mannered and quiet nature had won them over instantly and conversation flowed as if they had known each other for years. My parents have never travelled outside of Europe so they
fired question after question to her about her life in USA, Thailand and her family. Her English had really improved since living in America and she could easily answer the questions concisely without struggling too much with my mum's ‘Brummie’
accent.

Our plan was to go to London that day, so we could maximise her 2 weeks here. I booked a hotel for 3 nights so we could make the most of the capital. Before we left for London my parents cooked a full English breakfast – what better way to
start the day!

Our hotel was in central London and as I had lived there previously for a short stint, making my way round was easy. All the usual tourist haunts were visited, and we were also lucky enough to get there for changing of the guards at Buckingham
Palace. I’d not done the London tourist experience since I was young and it was a nice experience to see my capital city and show her around.

wonderland clinic

I tried to find some traditional English food for her, all the usual “delicacies” were sampled such as pie, chips and gravy. Fish and chips, sherpards pie, British curries and the classic Sunday roast. She really enjoyed all
of these but said they all tasted bland (except the curry) to her Thai tongue.

One of my friends had organised a party one night for his girlfriend’s birthday, so we got invited to that. She was interested in meeting my friends and seeing what the party would be like. She struggled with their English at times
as more alcohol flowed but I told her just ask people to slow down or repeat it, they will understand. One thing she also wasn’t used to was people hugging or kissing her when they first met. She would back away or make a funny noise! I
had to explain to people she wasn’t used to that. After a while one of my friend's girlfriends took her under her wing and off they went leaving me to have a few beers with the boys. She coped fine and said she really enjoyed the night.
My friends' original piss taking had changed into what a nice girl she was although I think they were disappointed she wasn’t actually going to do a ping pong show…..yada yada.

Another day was spent at the Black Country Museum and another at Warwick Castle. Anyone who visits England or even lives here should visit the Black Country Museum. It’s brilliant! It really is like going back in time. I’ve
been around 5 times and it’s a great day out and very interesting. She loved seeing all the old costumes and dress that the actors wear as they walk round the museum. Although I don’t think she could understand a word they were saying,
ay it ar. Warwick Castle is lovely also, but a bit expensive!

Towards the end of the 2 weeks, we spoke about the future and what we would do. She was really enjoying her life in USA and I enjoy my life in England and wouldn’t want to move to Thailand (once her USA visa expires). She said she
could move to England as she really enjoyed it but I wondered how this would be viable. I certainly wasn’t ready for marriage and getting serious with a girl I’ve only really met a handful of times? The logistics seemed near impossible,
the more I thought about it the more it sapped my positivity and made me feel that everything was a bit unfair (which isn’t like me at all!). I tried not to dwell on it too much and just enjoyed my time with her, as there wasn’t
much time before she had to leave.

Eventually the 2 weeks came to an end. It was the usual routine of waving her off. Another goodbye at another airport. It didn’t get any easier, in fact maybe even harder. As I saw her turn round and wave, I felt that tightening in
my throat and this time, I really wondered when I would see this girl again…



Stickman's
thoughts:


Here's hoping it doesn't take so long for part 4 to come in (9 months between parts 2 and 3!).

nana plaza